Complementary opposites

In actuality, the two poles of life are complementary opposites that together make up a total and wholly fulfilling experience of life. Although we tend to be afraid of pain, it is only in contrast to pain that we can fully experience pleasure. Without pain we would not know its opposite. Unending pleasure would become boring - and painful in its own way.  Allowing these complementary opposites to arise within the field of witness allows us to be relaxed with the ups and downs of life by staying connected to the unchanging field within which these opposites move.

- Kamini Desai, PhD, Yoga Nidra, The Art of Transformational Sleep